Hidden
by redreadinghood
Summary: Hermione Granger has been locked away in her evil step-mothers attic for most of her life. But now the great Severus Snap has rode in on a white horse to save her. Could she ever have the life she had always dreamed of? Could another life even be possible? [AU A little OOC I promise you'll love it though!]


p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/spanspan style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The sky was as blue as the ocean, the clouds as white and puffy as marshmallows, and the grass as green as an evergreen forest. Hermione only wished she could feel the slight breeze that made the leaves on the trees sway ever so slightly. She longed for the simple pleasure of the soft grass against her feet and the warmth of the sun against her skin./span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspanSince she could remember she had been locked away in the attic, held captive by her step-mother. At a young age her father had married a woman that had seemed amazing at the time, but actually turned out to be evil. Her need to torture Eva didn't come out until until after her father passed away in a horrible car accident. All rights to the young girl got passed down to her step-mother who instantly locked her in the attic, claiming that she had ruined her life./span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspanNow at the age of seventeen she sat next to the window that overlooked the vast front yard. Any moment her step-mother, Lisa, would be coming up the stairs to bring her lunch, which she would push under the door before disappearing again. This was the routine that spanHermione/span had become accustom too and which, she feared, would be the only routine she would ever know./span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspanAs if on a cue she heard footsteps outside the door, slowly making their way up the stairs. The only thing that struck her as odd was the fact that she couldn't hear the normal click-clack of her mother's heels against the wood. With great suspicion she rose from her seat and made her way over to the door, waiting for her small plate of food to appear. When instead of the plate she got a slight giggle of the doorknob she jumped back with fright. /span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspan"Dear, I think it's locked," she heard from the other side of the door. She could tell it was a male's voice, one that she had never heard before. She had only presumed that her mother never allowed any suitors that she had over to come near the stairs that led up to the attic, but for some reason it sounded almost as if she had allowed him to dare come near the girl that was always hidden from the world./span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspanAfter a moment she heard retreating footsteps that soon dimmed into silence. Only when the sound was gone did she realize that her heart had been beating at a rapid pace. After so many years of the same routine she had learned not to live in fear, but for the first time in years she felt the faint feeling of fear creeping into her body. What would she do if he would have been able to open the door? What would he think if he opened that door and found her on the other side?/span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspanIf he had opened the door she knew it wouldn't have been a pretty sight. Her hair was a dark brown and her skin was so pale from the lack of sunlight. She had an almost sickly appearance, which was even more pronounced by the fact that there seemed to be no light in her brown eyes. Eva's clothes were tattered and ragged, having been one of the only pair of clothes that she had owned since she had stopped growing./span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspanShe moved to the far corner of the room where her bed sat, sitting down next the tattered blanket that lay at the end of the bed. Most of the time she didn't even bother making her bed due to the fact that she spent most of her time curled up in it. It was almost too cold to leave it in the winter time and in the summer she felt as if it was the only place that she could find and solace./span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspanThis time, as she sat on her bed, she thought about something she hadn't thought about in years. She thought about what life might be like if someone were to open up that door and possibly save her from this place. In one moment her life could be flipped upside down, just by the simple act of turning that knob. Maybe she would be able to feel the sunshine and hear the birds chirping. There would be no more bars on her window, there would be no more starving. There would be a hint of something she hadn't had in a very long time. Hope./span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspanHermione/spanspan was awoken in the night by the sound of footsteps outside her door. This time they were not the unfamiliar footsteps, but the ones she knew like the back of her hand. Instantly she shot up in bed and moved out from under the covers. When she heard the jiggle of the doorknob she knew she was in trouble./span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspanHer first instinct was to hide, but that was not an option. With such a small room and so little furniture her mother was bound to find her. Instead of trying to run or hide she stood right where she was, unwavering. Her sight was fixed on the door as it creaked open, revealing the beautiful woman that she had once enjoyed the company of./span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspan"Downstairs, now," she demanded, leaving no room for questions. Lisa pointed towards the stairs as spanHermione/span made her way over to her and out into the forbidden. It had been years since she had walked down these stairs, years since she heard the subtle creak of the boards beneath her feet. At one time she might not have minded this, but now the only thing going through her mind was fear. Large mounds of fear./span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspanThe stairs gave way to a great room with dark red walls the color of blood. Inside the room there was no furniture in it, only a single rug in the middle of the room that was the same deep red color as the walls./span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspanHer mother emerged from behind her and walked out of the room, gesturing for spanHermione /spanto follow along behind her. spanHermione/span began to notice the quick beating of her heart, making it seem as if if might burst from her chest. When her mother led her into what she assumed to be the living room she instantly noticed a man sitting on the couch, his eyes locked right on her. Now she was positive her heart was about to burst from her chest./span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspan"Eva, meet Severus," Lisa said. The first thing spanHermione/span noticed about Severus was that he wasn't nearly as pale as she was. He had hair down to his shoulders the color of charcoal./spanspan His features were very pronounced and the only thing that separated him from being nearly perfect was the fact that it seemed he had demeanor that scared everyone away./span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspan"Hello Hermione," Severus greeted her, a wide smile spreading across his face. She resisted the urge to smile back, struck by the fear that she might get scolded by her mother if she were to make one wrong movement or even utter one word wrong./span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspan"Well say hello," her mother demanded as she glared at her with those insidious green eyes./span/span/p  
p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"spanspan class="apple-tab-span"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" /span/span/spanspan"Hello," she finally mumbled her voice hoarse from not having anyone to speak too in so long. Her mother did something she hadn't done in a very long time, smile. She couldn't remember the last time she saw a smile cross her face and in that moment she knew she had done something right./span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" "Severus here has agreed to marry you, dear child." Hermione's rapid beating heart froze. Married? She had been locked away in the attic for all of this time and now she was to marry her off to some poor soul that could have any woman in the world he wanted. Nothing good was to come out of this and Hermione knew it, she knew it like she knew she was to be locked away in that attic as soon as this poor soul was to leave. /span/p  
p style="text-align: center;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" "Well the poor thing had drove all this way just to see you and you can't even say anything to him for his generosity?" Lisa scoffed. "You're so ungrateful." Suddenly her mother became the same person that had locked her away and Hermione's heart began to beat rapidly once again. Did her mother really expect her to do this? Yes, yes she did./span/p 


End file.
